The concept of "task" is explored, particularly as it relates to the work students perform in learning a language. It is proposed that what really happens as a student learns can be understood better by applying the concept of task to classroom processes. The ways in which task has been defined by educators are reviewed, and it is concluded that…

This paper on the feasibility of using teaching practices as indicators of student learning was developed as part of an ongoing project to develop a process for the assessment of college student learning in the context of National Education Goal 5, Objective 5, which aims to increase the proportion of college graduates with "advanced ability…

The paper summarizes some educational research findings regarding effective schooling practices. Only those findings which have particular impact on educational program planners in the field of migrant education are discussed. These findings pertain to the following issues: class size, group size, ability grouping, parent participation in…

Mills College (California) was one of three sites selected to participate in a project designed to apply and use research in elementary teacher education. The project trained student teachers and cooperating teachers to measure academic learning time and active teacher behaviors with instruments developed by recent research on teacher…

Several evaluation formats were used to examine the impact that the Direct Instruction Model had on 600 selected students in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, over a 7-year period. The performance of students in the Direct Instruction Model was contrasted with the performance of similar students (on the basis of family income, ethnicity,…

The Teaching-Learning Interaction Study tested the separate and interactive effects of teacher and student entry characteristics on their subsequent classroom behavior, and the effect of that behavior on students' regressed gain, over a school year, in achievement, attitudes toward school, self-esteem, and coping skills. Fifty-three tri-ethnic…

The Middle School Study of Mainstreamed Students sought to establish a foundation for interdisciplinary research on middle school mainstreaming by merging teacher effectiveness and special education practices. The study examined teaching behaviors through macro (classroom) and micro (individual student) analyses of classroom interactions, to…

Commissioned papers to help the National Commission on Excellence in Education make the recommendations for educational improvement for its report "A Nation at Risk" are cited in this annotated listing. The report presents recommendations in five areas: content, standards and expectations, time, teaching, and leadership and fiscal…

Suggestions are made in this book for making significant improvements in the schools. Based on "A Study of Schooling," an extensive on-the-scene investigation of classrooms across the country, the suggestions for significant improvement begin with the premise that the schools must be redesigned piece by piece. All aspects of schooling…

This descriptive study investigates the variability in the curriculum pacing decisions of classroom teachers. The effects on the reading achievement and performance gains of first and second grade students in a compensatory education program program are examined. Data were collected from: (1) the Metropolitan Readiness Test results used to select…

In this article, the author describes the current state of research on web-based instruction and posits new directions to expand the current paradigm. Issues of faculty attitude and support toward distance education, instructional immediacy, and the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering and Gamson, 1986) relative…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that proctored versus un-proctored testing would have on learning for an on-line content module; and examine the relationship between LASSI variables and learning. A randomized, pre-test/post-test control group design was employed. College students in a pharmacy curriculum, were randomized to two…

At the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Ontario, a course entitled Developing and Leading High Performing Teams: Theory and Practice is experimenting with a design that surfaces the action/reflection paradox for the purpose of learning how to manage this polarity. Whether the product is defined as services or goods,…

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) documents dimensions of quality in legal education and provides information about law student participation in effective educational activities that law schools and other organizations can use to improve student learning. This paper presents findings from the second LSSSE. Promising findings…

Massachusetts 2020 is a nonprofit operating foundation with a mission to expand educational and economic opportunities for children and families across Massachusetts. Massachusetts 2020, with support from the L.G. Balfour Foundation, a Bank of America Company, set out to understand how a select group of extended-time schools in Massachusetts and…